Corporate and Finance Matters for Food and Agribusiness

Each food and agricultural business is unique – be it a public company, growth-oriented company, a not-for-profit, start-up or family-owned business.

Ice Miller can bring together a team of attorneys to meet your specific personal and business finance needs.

Ice Miller attorneys develop innovative solutions for food and agribusiness companies. Our attorneys understand the dynamic and increasingly complex business environment facing the food industry and agribusiness. We have substantial experience in conducting major transactions in the seed, grain/oilseed, food processing, cooperative and oil and gas sectors. Attorneys from our team represent clients of diverse industry backgrounds and sizes, including closely-held and family-owned businesses, as well as publicly traded companies. We assist food and agribusiness clients with corporate needs, including:

Capital markets transactions

Commercial transactions

Corporate governance for public and private companies

Financing, private equity and venture capital

General business counseling

Government contracts

International matters and transactions

Investment management, funds and compliance

Joint ventures and other strategic alignments

Mergers and acquisitions

Project finance

Public-private partnerships and ventures

Securities

Tax

Cooperative Practice

We have attorneys across various practice groups who advise cooperatives on corporate governance matters, formation, debt finance and tax matters. Ice Miller has also worked extensively with our cooperative clients on mergers and acquisitions, setting up joint ventures and the buying and selling of assets.

Finance

Ice Miller attorneys also have experience in structuring and negotiating agribusiness financings, as well as in workouts, restructurings and litigation for agribusiness matters. Our team has advised clients on syndicated finance transactions and have structured and negotiated securitizations and other agribusiness financings for clients.

We also have worked on bankruptcies, workouts and distressed acquisitions involving livestock integrators, grain producers and processors, and other agribusinesses.

Representative Clients

Representative Experience

Agribusiness Council of Indiana. Ice Miller's director of agribusiness strategies serves as president of ACI and provides executive and strategic direction for key initiatives and represents ACI at state, regional and national industry gatherings. Ice Miller's Public Affairs Group closely monitors and informs members on key state and federal issues, and represents ACI before the Indiana General Assembly and other key regulatory agencies. Ice Miller also coordinates efforts with ACI's national affiliates, including CropLife America, The Fertilizer Institute, American Seed Trade Association, Ag Retailers Association, National Grain and Feed Association, and American Feed Industry Association, to provide support on important policy and regulatory issues.

CLAAS. Ice Miller has worked closely with CLAAS of America, Claas Omaha Inc., and their parent company, Claas KGaA for over two decades, helping them on a wide variety of legal matters throughout North America including advice on distributor agreements, product liability and warranty claims, labor issues, and general risk management.

CountryMark. Ice Miller represents CountryMark on policy and regulatory issues at both the state and federal level. Our attorneys have also assisted with a major biofuels grant submission to the U.S. Department of Energy as well as corporate representation on the acquisition of assets of a Midwestern oil and gas exploration and production company.